BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS

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Champion biodiversity in India

Companies that have signed the IBBI declaration are not only demonstrating their leadership position in addressing biodiversity loss but are also using this refined understanding to gear up for changing consumer preferences, mitigating future risks and creating new business opportunities in green markets.

NEWSROOM

For Nel Jayaraman, the realisation that hybrid seeds, chemical fertilisers and pesticides were making farmers more vulnerable to extreme weather came slowly. Fifteen years ago, Mr Jayaraman gave up both, returning to traditional varieties and organic farming methods that had become nearly extinct in the Cauvery river delta region where his family had lived for generations.

“We should go back to traditional varieties that are suited to this soil, that can withstand these conditions. It is the only way farmers can make a decent living.”

While Coastal Regulation Zone notifications regulate a 500 metre horizontal region from the high-tide line, the SMP lays down a vertical impact of the sea-level rise. Few decades on, structures near Mumbai's seashores may be inundated by rising sea levels. In what may drastically alter perceptions about climate change and its impact on coastal cities like Mumbai, a state government study has predicted a 0.38 metre rise in sea levels across Maharashtra by 2050.

Scotland has a new species of butterfly: the elusive and endangered white-letter hairstreak has been discovered in a field in Berwickshire, 100 metres from the English border.

“Climate change is a double-edged sword but it’s an exciting time to be in the Scottish borders,” said Paul Kirkland of Butterfly Conservation Scotland. “It’s not just butterflies but moths and dragonflies are moving north quite quickly.”